1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to adjustable shower heads, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved mechanism for allowing remote directional adjustment of a shower head. Handicapped individuals and small children are unable to adjust the spray head direction of conventional pivotally mounted shower heads. In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides an inexpensive remote actuation device for providing directional control of a pivotally mounted shower head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of adjustable shower heads are known in the prior art. A typical example of such an adjustable shower head is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,745, which issued to A. Pescheke-Koedt on Aug. 22, 1972. This patent discloses a shower head which is mounted for compound manual adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,543, which issued to J. Martin on June 9, 1981, discloses a shower head which is mounted for vertical adjustment on a continuous chain received around two vertically spaced pulleys. U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,612, which issued to J. King on Aug. 11, 1981, discloses an adjustable shower head which is mounted on a series of contiguous pipe members each connected by a universal joint. A handle secured to one of the pipes allows manual adjustment of the shower head. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,159, which issued to J. Haynes on Nov. 23, 1982, discloses an adjustable shower head which is connected to a water supply by an elongated flexible hose. The shower head is mounted in a vertically extending track for manual vertical adjustment. A pair of spaced pulleys mount the shower head within the vertical track. U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,668, which issued to E. Jette on Aug. 16, 1983, discloses an adjustable shower head which utilizes a pivotally mounted shower head provided with an elongated arm having an adjustment control knob. The pivotal adjustment mounting includes a flow control valve to shut off the water flow in a selected adjusted position.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices provide for the remote adjustment of a shower head by handicapped individuals. Additionally, none of the previously described adjustable shower heads utilizes a remotely mounted joystick in conjunction with a cable linkage to allow remote adjustment of a shower head. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of adjustable shower heads, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such adjustable shower heads, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.